Simeon's Promise by Lewis Kelley

Author:Lewis Kelley
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lewis Kelley
Published: 2023-04-04T00:00:00+00:00

35

After an introduction to the newcomers, Dr. Hippolytos placed the document handed him beneath an overhead projector and started reading. Simeon and his companions sat in a row of freestanding chairs brought into the amphitheatre-style classroom for their benefit. Macy occupied the seat beside Simeon at his request. The visiting professor provided light banter while examining the transcript. Once he began describing what he was seeing, he revealed what he hunched over was a legal text outlining a real estate sale. It was what he didn’t say that triggered Simeon’s intuition most.

Of medium build with a burgeoning paunch, dark-haired and exhibiting the classically-imagined olive-toned skin of someone of Greek ancestry, Dr. Hippolytos spoke English with perfect fluency, albeit with an accent that lent an exotic flair to his delivery. Possessive of a personality that put others at ease; he was a well known icon within the world of academia; particularly where it came to the study of Classic Greek literature. It was an extreme quirk of fate that found him in Kansas on this particular day. The schedule of lectures he was performing across the United States had been planned for more than a year. Kansas wasn’t on the original itinerary but as a favor to a colleague he met at an international meeting of academics in London the previous spring, he added this stop as he made his way westward. That colleague happened to be the chair of the Classics Department at the University of Kansas and the man Monique had by blind luck been able to speak to earlier in the day.

“Who will be the first to display their mastery of Greek?” Dr. Hippolytos queried. “Come now,” he said when no one volunteered. “The entire world has the impression that Americans fear nothing. Surely this gathering will uphold that legend?”

There was faint laughter but no volunteers. Simeon sensed the uneasiness of the students and decided to speak. “The document belongs to a friend of mine. It asks that she consent to the sale of property that has been in her family for generations. It’s my understanding that in Greece the sale of land is particularly cumbersome because of the laws involved. Someone can actually purchase land but not own the olive trees that grow on it for example.”

“That’s crazy...” a young man blurted from the front. “...how is that possible?”

“At last, a question,” Dr. Hippolytos said. “What Mr. Carver says is true. The laws in my country are...complex. I know we Greeks are somewhat primitive in comparison to America where your system of law is perfect.”

“I believe I can argue that point,” Simeon interrupted to nervous but instant laughter.

“You’ve certainly earned that right, Mr. Carver,” the professor added. “I know very little about what befell you but my colleague was kind enough to enlighten me before your arrival. The students are not the only ones who would like to hear your story.” Dr. Hippolytos did something that surprised everyone when he abruptly walked over to where Simeon sat and bent toward his ear.

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